Intercropping - uneven care: Farmers get rich

The durian harvest season in Lam Ha is approaching, the macadamia trees have just been harvested in April, preparing for the October harvest. The good price of coffee also makes farmers excited. For many households, intercropping has become a method to help farmers stabilize their agricultural production.

Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang in the intercropping garden

Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang - a farmer in Nhan Hoa village, Dan Phuong commune, Lam Ha district is one of the typical households in the local economic development. Taking guests to visit the garden, Mr. Sang happily said that his house is a "Model of mixed fruit tree growing". With durian, macadamia, avocado intercropped with durian, his 2-hectare garden is truly a combination of trees that bring stable income in Lam Ha land.

Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang recounted that, originally from Ha Nam , in 1993, he moved his family to his new hometown Lam Ha to build the economy. Like most people in Dan Phuong, he grew coffee. Prices fluctuated, fertilizer prices as well as labor costs became increasingly difficult, Mr. Sang nurtured the desire to find other crops with higher and more stable value. After visiting many gardens, Mr. Sang decided to switch to intercropping fruit trees on the coffee area. At the same time, because the coffee garden was old, he also decided to replant to achieve higher productivity and better quality beans.

So in 2016, Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang began to renovate his coffee garden. Initially, Mr. Sang chose to cut down some old roots to make room for intercropping. Mr. Sang chose macadamia trees, a type of tree classified as a forestry tree, to intercrop. Following the instructions of the Department of Agriculture, Mr. Sang chose macadamia trees with a clear origin, a fast-grafting macadamia variety that produces large, high-quality fruit. He chose to plant 80 more Thai Monthon durian trees to see if durian is suitable for Nhan Hoa land. And in suitable locations, Mr. Sang added 034 avocado, a specialty avocado variety of Lam Dong land.

When he first renovated his garden and planted fruit trees, Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang encountered many difficulties. Because he specialized in coffee cultivation, he had no experience in planting and caring for fruit trees, especially difficult-to-grow varieties like durian. He learned from technical staff, neighbors, and surrounding gardeners about how to fertilize, prune, and prevent diseases for trees... And after many years, the garden has brought good results for farmers.

In the 2023 crop, nearly 50 durian trees of Mr. Sang have been harvested, 2 tons of pepper, 3 tons of macadamia nuts... Total income from the garden, after deducting expenses, reached 500 million VND. With 2 hectares of cultivated land, 500 million VND is not too large an income, but for farmers in the remote area of Dan Phuong, this is also a significant source of income. In particular, Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang shared that intercropping fruit trees helps farmers reduce many worries. Mr. Sang confided: "For large-scale companies and businesses, it is very convenient, for small farmers like us, intercropping helps reduce risks a lot. For example, my family has many types of fruit trees, some of which have reduced prices, but other trees still make up for the income. For example, this year, avocados have decreased sharply, but durian and coffee prices are high, and family income is still stable."

One thing that Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang is satisfied with is that intercropping helps the garden environment very well. He shared that in order to intercrop successfully, farmers need to understand the techniques, characteristics of each type of tree, fertilization and watering regime. It is much more difficult than monoculture of one type of tree. However, when intercropping, the garden soil is covered with many layers of canopy, high humidity and very good soil quality. Because each type of tree has a harvest time in the year, farmers must regularly fertilize, especially organic fertilizer, potassium, and boron for the trees to keep their fruit. And so, all the trees in the garden benefit, the amount of fertilizer is fully utilized, not remaining in the environment. Mr. Sang shared: “Farmers who grow pure coffee without shade trees will not be as good as intercropping. Because coffee likes shade and is afraid of wind, intercropping fruit trees in the garden will create the best environment for the trees. At the same time, income from fruit also brings some income to farmers, not afraid of depending on the price of a single type.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thong - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Dan Phuong commune said that not only is Mr. Luong Ngoc Sang's family good at production, but they are also active members of the Association. Mr. Sang actively propagates and mobilizes people in the village and commune to boldly change the structure of crops and livestock; shares experiences, helps families in difficulty to develop the economy together, gradually stabilize their lives. Every year, Mr. Sang's family has created conditions for more than 20 workers in the commune, helps 6 households with difficulties in capital to develop production and provides technical support and experience in agricultural production. For many consecutive years, his family has been awarded the title of "Cultural Family", the title of "Good Farmer and Business Household" at the district and provincial levels. From a poor family, becoming a household with a good economy in the locality, that is the result of the will, determination and tireless efforts of farmer Luong Ngoc Sang.

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